
iw.v>rMm,\vvM" 



■^::::P^-:^'''^ 















(ilass EC>^^ 

Rook o EEu/T 



% 



^2dS°sXn"1 "°"SE OP REPRESENTATIVES Rocument 

I INo. 1515 



Abraham L. Brick 



(Late a R< 



prcscntative irom Indiana) 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



VX.'o Sixtieth Congress 
Second Session 



HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
February 14, 1909 



SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
February 27, 1909 



Compiled under the direction of tlie Jomt Committee on Printing 



WASHINGTON : : GOVERNIMENT PRINTING OFFICE 






uiN 26 'yo. 

D. OT 1). 






TABLE OF CONTENTvS. 



PaKC. 

Proceedings in the House 5 

Prayer by Rev. Henry N". Coiulen, D.D__ 6 

Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. Chaney, of Indiana 9 

Mr. Dixon, of Indiana i,^ 

Mr. Alexander, of New York * 19 

Mr. Lloyd, of Missouri -4 

Mr. HoUiday, of Indiana _ -'S 

Mr. Crumpacker, (if Indiana_ ' ,^i 

Mr. Hamilton, of Michigan .i.i 

Mr. Gilhams, fif Indiana _ _ - _ - . - .i7 

Mr. Barnhart, of Indiana. 41 

Proceedings in the Senate. ■- 4.S 

Prayer by Rev. Edward E. Hale - .,-'-^-- 46 

Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. Beveridge, of Indiana 4S 

Mr. Hemcnwav, of Indiana -- 51 



y '•• 



Death of Hon. Abraham L. Brick 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE 

Tuesday, Af^ril 7, 1908. 

Mr. OvERSTREET. Mr. Speaker, it is my painful duty to 
announce to the House the death of my colleague, the Hon. 
Abr.-\h.\m L. Brick, Representative from the Thirteenth Con- 
gressional District of Indiana. At a later date I shall ask 
the House to set apart a suitable time to listen to appropriate 
testimonials on the life, character, and public services of the 
deceased. I now offer the following resolutions. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

A'oo/x'fi/, That tlie House has heard with profound sorrow of the death 
of Hon. Abr.\h,'\.m L. Brick, a Representative from the State of Indiana. 

Kesotved, That a committee of si.xteen Members of the House be appointed 
to attend the funeral. 

Resolved, Tliat tlie Sergeant-at-Arnis of the House be authorized and 
directed to take such steps as may be necessary for carrying out the pro- 
visions of these resolutions, and that the necessary expenses in connec- 
tion therewith be paid out of the contingent fund of the House. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate 
and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect this House do now recess 
until Wednesday, .^pril 8, at 11.30 o'clock a. in. 

The SpE.'iKER. The question is on a'^reeing to all the reso- 
lutions save the last. 

The question was taken, and the resolutions, except the last, 
were unanimously agreed to. 

In accordance with the resolution, the Chair appointed as a 
committee to attend the funeral Mr. Overstreet, Mr. Watson, 

5 



6 Proceedings in the House 

Mr. Crumpackcr, Mr. Holliday, Mr. Chaney, Mr. Foster of 
Indiana, Mr. Gilharns, Mr. Dixon, Mr. Cox of Indiana, Mr. 
Gillctt, Mr. Graff, Mr. Bowers, Mr. Hamilton of Michigan, 
Mr. Cole, Mr. Lloyd, and Mr. Alexander of New York. 

The Speaker. The question now is on agreeing to the last 
resolution. 

The question was taken, and the resolution was unanimously 
agreed to. 

Accordingly (at 4 o'clock and 6 minutes p. m.j, the House 
was in recess until to-morrow at 11.30 a. m. 

Saturday, January sj, iqoq. 

]\Ir. OvERSTREET. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent for 
the consideration of the following order. 

The Speaker. The gentleman from Indiana asks unanimous 
consent for the consideration of the following order, which the 
Clerk will report. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

Order No. 19. 

()»-</('>(•(/, That there be a session of the House at 3 p. 111., Sunday, February 
14, for the delivery of eulogies on the life, character, and public services of 
the Hon. Abr.\ham Lincoln Brick, late a Member of this House from 
Indiana. 

The Speaker. Is tiiere objection? [After a pause.] The 

Chair hears none, and the order is agreed to. 

Sunday, February 14, igog. 
The House met at 12 o'clock m. 

Praver bv the Chaplain, Rev. Henry X. Couden, D. D., as fol- 
lows : 

Our Father in heaven, we meet here on this sacred day to ful- 
fill a sacred mission. We are come to pay a tribute of love and 
respect to men who served with distinction their country in the 



Proceedings ui the House , 7 

Con£;;ress of the United States, than which mi greater service, if 
faitlifully and efficiently done, can be rendered to one's country. 
Teach us how to be true to ourselves, how to be patriots in 
times of peace, how to be philanthropists, that we may feel 
bound to contribute something to our neighbor, to the public 
weal, and to the uplift of humanity; that we may be, indeed, 
followers of the world's great Exemplar, and departing, leave 
the world a little better than we found it. 

Inspire the men who shall speak here to-day that they may 
bring out the sterling qualities of their departed colleagues; 
that thev may be an example to those who shall come after 
them. Comfort us all with the blessed hope of the innnorlalitv 
of the soul, and be especially near to the families who mourn 
the loss, of their dear ones that they may look forward with 
bright anticipations to a world where sorrows never come, and 
where thev shall dwell together with their loved ones forever. 
And glory and honor be Thine through Him who revealed the 
immortalitv of the soul to the world. Amen. 

The SpK.'VKEr pro tenijiore. The Clerk will report the special 

order in reference to the late Abraham Lincoln Brick. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

Ibdciai, That there be a sessiun of tlie House at .^ ]i. in. ,'^unday, Feb- 
ruary 14, for the delivery of eulogies on the life, character, and jjubhc serv- 
ices of the Hon. Abraham Lincoln Brick, late a Member of this House 
from Indiana. 

Mr. ChanEv. Mr. Speaker, I move the adoption of the reso- 
lutions which I send to the Clerk's desk. 

The SpE.\ker pro temjjore. The gentleman from Indiana 
moves the adoption of the resolutionswhich the Clerk will report. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of ilie deatli 
of the Hon. Abraham Lincoln Brick, late a Member of this House from 
the State of Indiana. 



8 Proceedings i>i the House 

Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended, that oppor- 
tunity may be given to pay tribute to his memory. 

Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory of tlie 
deceased and in recognition of his distinguished public service, the House 
at the conclusion of the memorial exercises of the day shall stand ad- 
journed. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate. 

Resolved. That the Clerk send a copy of these resolutions to tlie family 
of the deceased. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The question is on agreeing to 
the resohitions. 

The tiuestion was taken, and the resohitions were unani- 
mously agreed to. 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Address of Mr. Chaney, of Indiana 

Mr. Speaker: 

There is no death! The stars go down 

To rise upon some fairer shore , 
And bright in heaven's jeweled crown 

They shine for evermore. 

At the Republican convention of Indiana last spring Abra- 
H.Mvi Lincoln Brick was there, as he had been many times in 
his life, contributing his advice and enthusiasm to the great 
party to which we belong in preparation for another great 
campaign. We parted with him in the lobby of the New Clay- 
pool Hotel, Indianapolis, expecting to meet him in this Cham- 
ber in a day or two to resume the duties here, when, ini -ad, a 
message came on the swift wings of the lightning telling us 
that "Abe Brick is dead." Though sudden and stunning the 
shock to us, what a blow it was to the wife and daughter, who 
were also waiting contentedly for his return to Washington. 
They are entitled to our sympathy, and we mourn with them. 
In the midst of life we are in death. 

But forty-eight years had passed with Mr. Brick. He was 
endowed with a physical constitution equal to any of us, so that 
it might reasonably be expected many more years would be 
meted out to him. He was an Indianian, born under the skies 
of that great State, and possessed, in a superior degree, that 
milk of human kindness which true Hoosiers always share. He 
was richly blessed with a splendid human nature, and he be- 
lieved in his fellow-men. He was not without his faults, like 

9 



lo Memorial Addresses: Ahraliam L. Brick 

everybody else, yet he was esteemed for his loyal frientlships 
and ills good will to men. A man of entireh' hoh' instincts 
would not be of the earth earthy, would not be sociable, could 
not be companionable, and hardly enMurable. Perfection is 
beyond our reach. We love a man who is also touched with 
our infirmities. 

.Man luuh two attendant angels 

Ever waiting at his side; 
Witli him where'er he wanders, 

Whcresoe'er his feet abide. 

* * * * 

One to warn him i'f he darkleth, 

And rebuke him if he stray: 
One lo leave him to his nature 

.\nd so let him have his way. 

The subject of our sketch was christened with an honored 
name. Abraham Lincoln was the greatest American citizen. 
His life was full of trials and duties, but he conscientiotislv 
served his day and generation. His life exemplified the inspir- 
ing hope that — 

For every tear there are a thousand smiles; 

For every sorrow there are a thousand joys; 

Tor every vicious thought there are a thousand generous impulses; 

For every crime there are a thousand heroic deeds; 

For every lie there are a thousand truths; 

For every error there are a thousand righteous calculations; 

For every mistake there are a thousand perfections; 

For every sin there are a thousand redemptions; 

For every sinner there are a thousand upright men, 

Ahr.^ham I^incoln Brick had confidence in the human race. 
The district which he ser\'ed so long and so well had faitli in 
him, and recognized his ability, his industry, and his fidelity; 
and the Congresses in which he served have entered upon their 
imperishable records "Dutv well done." 

Mr. Brick came to Congress a well-e(|uipped lawver and a 
man of afTairs. He had haliits of industry, without which no 
man ever succeeds. He applied himself with assiduilv to the 



Address oj Mr. Cliaucy, of ludiaJia 1 1 

tasks of statesinanshii) and establislud hiinst-lf in the licarts of 
his colleagues, where aijpreciation is never won without merit. 
He had literary tastes of a high order, and his lite was embi'l- 
lished with the inspiration of the pure and beautiful. He was 
wont to ask the gentle traveler, "WIki liast wandered through 
the world and seen the sweetest flowers blow and brightest 
gliding rivers, of the fairest land his eyes hath seen?" and to 
ask the child, "Where is nature most blest and fair.''" and to 
get the answer that "It is where those we love abide. Though 
that space be small, it is ample above kingdoms; thougii ii be a 
desert, through it runs the river of Paradise, and there are the 
enchanted bowers." 

The United States was his country, Indiana was his beloved 
vState, and South Hend his honored home. To his country he 
yielded patriotic devotion; to his State he gave a full measure 
of service and appreciation; in his home love asserted and main- 
tained its mild dominion. He would not have it asserted that 
he possessed all the virtues and graces of life, but that his am- 
bitions were honorable, his life creditable, his impulses exalting 
and not groveling. He always stripped the calendars of the 
dead December and threw the husk away; and he alwavs looked 
beyond the phosphor wis]) that seeks lo comfort onlv the bar- 
ren moors of lile to the ijrilliancy of the sun on the highlands 
a little way ahead. And so it is that men come and go; for a 
little while they wear the masks of a choice endeavor, then 
hasten on to the reward their deserts win. 

We have but recently closed a centu;-y of the world's progress 
and noted the achievements of civilization. We have jus> 
dried our eyes upon the century of Lincoln's birth and eulogized 
the triumphs of this matchless man of the people. With hand- 
kerchiefs to our faces we stand on the floor of the House of 
Representatives to-da>- mourning with a stricken famih-, but 



12 Memorial Addresses: Abraliain L. Brick 

with pride in our hearts that another son of Indiana has shed 
the luster of an honorable service in the high councils of our 
national life. His achievements were worthy, his life successful. 

Abrah.\.m LiN'ciJLX Brick was a Republican in our ])olitics. 
He believed in the doctrine that all men are created equal and 
equally endowed with inalienable rights. He believed in giving 
to every man an equal chance in the race of life with every other 
man. He believed in the schoolhouse and in intelligent liberty. 
He believed in one and the same law for rich and poor, high 
and low, white and black. He believed in progress, and hailed 
every progressive thing. He believed in American ideals, and 
cherished the ho])e that each succeeding year should outcivilize 
the old year. He contributed his humble part in the succession 
of great achievements while he sojourned here. He honored his 
countrv, his State, his neighbors, and he left an honorable name 
to our conunon civilization. 

We bore his mortal remains to his beloved city, and left him 
with his friends, whom he loved and who loved him in return. 

Peace to his ashes! A page to his memory, a tablet to his 
worth, a blessing on his household, and hail and farewell! 

Adelaide Proctor has touched the real graces in Per Pacem 
ad Lucem and fittingly spread the aroma of the life of our 
deceased friend — 

I do not ask, O Lord, that life should always be a pleasant road; 
I do not ask that Thou shouldst take from me aught of its load. 
I do not ask that llovvers should always spring beneath my feet. 
Too well I know the poison and the sting of things too sweet. 
+ ^ ^ * ^ * * 

I do not ask that Thou should always shed full radiance here; 
Give but a ray of peace that I may walk without a fear. 
Joy is like restless day, but peace divine like quiet night. 
Lead me, O Lord, till perfect day shall shine through peace to light. 



Address oj Mr. Dixon, of Indiana 13 



Address of Mr. Dixon, of Indiana 

Mr. Speaker: It has ever been the eiistoni of civihzeil na- 
tions to mingle \vith their sorrow commemoration of the noble 
qualities of the dead. It is fitting that those who have served 
their country in public life, and especially those who have died 
while in that service, should have accorded them some perma- 
nent memorial of the personal regard and esteem felt bv those 
who were associated with them and of the events in whicli they 
played so large and useful a i)art. The time-honored and beau- 
tiful custom of Congress enables us to turn aside for a brief 
period from the active and laborious routine of legislation and 
to give voice to our mingled feelings of sorrow and respect for 
our late lamented colleague and friend, Hon. Ahraham Lincoln 
Brick. 

Born on May 27, i860, in vSt. Joseph Countx', Ind., where 
to-day his ashes rest, he knew by experience the hardships 
and privations of the struggles of an ambitious son of the Middle 
West. His early education was in the public schools of his 
native county, and he graduated with honor from the high 
school of South Bend. With an ambition for a higher and 
broader education, with the determination to pre])are himself 
more thoroughly for the active and responsible duties of his 
chosen profession, he sought the advantages of courses at Cor- 
nell, Yale, and Ann Arbor. He graduated from the latter 
institution and returned to his native county and entered the 
struggle for a practice in his profession. 

Three years later he was elected to the office of prosecuting 
attorney, and his faithful discharge of its resjjonsibilities and 
multifarious duties gave earl\- promise of the capable and con- 



14 Memorial Addresses: Abraham L. Brick 

sciciuious manner in which he performed the duties of the high 
office which he was later called to fill. His close application to 
liis l)(K)ks, his painstaking attention to details, his fidelity to his 
clients, his strict integrity and charming personality brought 
him clients and enabled him to establish a large and lucratiye 
practice. He was skilled in the trial of causes, courteous to his 
o|)ponents, respectful .to the court, and frank and open in his 
arguments to the jur>-. With these exceptional qualities, it is 
not surprising that his ser\-ices were always in demand in im- 
portant cases, and he leayes a name that will long be honored 
by the bar of northern Indiana. 

As is usual in our State, the lawyer is called upon to partici- 
pate in political battles, and j\Ir. Brick rendered great seryice 
to his party in each campaign. His natural oratorical talent, 
his trained logical mind, quick in its analysis of public ques- 
tions, his beautiful diction, his practical illustrations, and his 
passionate and enthusiastic appeals in behalf of Republican 
policies and principles made him the leading figure of his party 
in a district that had for years been the storm center of In- 
diana politics. 

Mr. Brick was not only a fighter on the firing line, but his 
advice was sought and followed in the councils of his party, 
both locally and in the State. In recognition of these qualities, 
he was nominated and elected to. the Fifty-sixth Congress, and 
continued an uninterrupted service for nearly ten years, the 
longest period served by any Representative from his district. 

His constituency looked with favor upon his ability and 
faithfulness, and loyally gave him their support each time he 
sought reelection. As a member of this House, he was placed 
upon important and responsible committees, and ser\-ed with 
distinction on the Committees on Territories, on Naval Affairs, 
and later upon the Appropriations. Everyone familiar with 



Address of My. Dixoji, of Indiana 15 

the business of this branch of Congress knows that these com- 
mittees have to deal with the most comprehensive and intricate 
subjects of legislation, and exact of their membership the strict- 
est application and industry. To these duties Mr. Brick con- 
tributed his talents with unwavering fidelity. He shrank from 
no sacrifices, and never hesitated to give his time and mind to 
the labor of these committees. He sought no public displav 
of the result of this work, and was always modest and unpre- 
tending in his intercourse with his fellow-Members. He but 
seldom took part in the debates on the floor, not because he 
was not equipped with knowledge of the subject and able to 
present his views with vigor and efifect, but rather because he 
was diffident and retiring by nature, and of a demeanor and 
temperament which induced him to refrain from lifting his 
voice in debate and to exert his influence and impress his 
ideas in the committee room, where in fact all important, and 
particularly constructive, legislation is in reality framed. Tiie 
services rendered by a Member of this House to his constituency 
and the country are not measured by the number of bills he 
introduces, nor in any sense determined by the speeches he 
delivers. The greatest and most lasting results are accom- 
plished by earnest efforts in the committee, where learning, 
ability, and devotion to the best interests of the countrv, such 
as possessed by our departed friend, have their best opportunit\- 
to mold legislation and permanentl\- to leave their impress 
upon the destinies of the Republic. 

While it was through politics that Mr. Brick secured his 
advancement and preferment, nevertheless he was a politician 
in the highest and broadest sense of that term. " A politician " 
does not mean in its proper sense one whose aims and ambitions 
are solely selfish and who seeks only his own advancement 
without regard to means or methods employed, but rather one 

78128— H. Doc. 1515, 6(T-2 2 



i6 Memorial Addresses: Abraham L. Brick 

who has an intense interest in governnuntal affairs, fixed ideas 
as to policies and jirinciples, ability to command the respect 
and win the confidence of men, and who seeks i)lace and power 
in the hope that he can be of larger service to his fellow-men. 
With no other thought than the public good, no other ambition 
than the faithful performance of his duty, the politician is 
merged into the statesman, and such a politician and such a 
statesman was Abraham Lixcol.n Brick. 

It is impossible to state in formal phrase the many noble 
qualities that made up his splendid manhood, kindness, gener- 
osity, a loving disposition and an engaging personalitv. He 
had no malice in his heart toward any man, no envv in his 
thoughts, no treason in his dealings with his fellow-men. He 
was happy when helping others, and he had an unfailing charity 
toward all. 

I was a member of the congressional committee appointed to 
attend the funeral of our late colleague, and I witnessed the 
^ solenm and impressive ceremonies with which his body was 
laid to rest. I noted the sincere grief felt t;)\ the peojjle of his 
district over his death. Factories were closed, business was 
suspended, schools were dismissed, and the streets were for 
squares thronged with those who sought to pay their last tribute 
to their departed fellow-citizen. Persons of all ranks and classes 
jostled elbows in that crowd, and mingled the expressions of 
heartfelt sorrow that each felt in his death, and their admira- 
tion and love for his splendid character. 

The jx-ople of his city had honored him in life, and they did 
not fail in his death to breathe the tenderest sentiments of 
affection and sympathy over his remains. No matter what the 
memorial shaft chosen to mark his grave may be, no matter 
how long it endures the elements and nuitely stands bearing 
testimony of the departed, longer still shall his memorv be 



Address of Mr. Dixon, of Indiana 17 

cherished and shall tiie spirit of the man that was and llie j^'ood 
he wrought live in the hearts of the ix-oi)Ie whom he served. In 
the words of Tacitus — 

Whatever we have loved in Agricola, whatever we admired in him, 
remains and shall remain in the minds of men, in the duration of the ages, 
and the renown of great events. 

The last word is said. Human hands can do no more ; human 
sympathy can share but never still the pangs of broken hearts. 

I append ])ortions of the beautiful tribute to Mr. Brick deliv- 
,ered by the Rev. Henry Webb Johnson, jiastor of the Presby- 
terian Church of his home cit\-, who was his lifelong friend and 
neighbor: 

Te.xt. — Seest thou a man diligent in Ijusiness^ he shall stand before 
kings. (Proverbs, xxii. 29. 1 

I said to a friend a moment ago that I could hardly realize that our friend 
is gone. The letter that I hold in my hand, received from him a few days 
ago, makes it dilTicuU for me to realize that he is not with us. Wlien he 
wrote it lie was in tlie prime and splendor of his powers. .\ deep shadow 
is upon our city. A life work is done. While the years of our fellow- 
citizen have not lieen many his labors have been multiform. We are never 
to measure a life by its years, but by the noble deeds performed. Achieve- 
ments measure the value of a life. 

Behind the success of our fellow-citizen there were years of preparation. 
He was born under the sky of our county. Many here to-day have watched 
his movements and marked his progress from his verv cradle. In the early 
years there was born in his heart an ambition to make something of him- 
self. He thirsted for knowledge. To acquire an education lie was willing 
to cross every rough sea and to climb every lofty height. The great 
statesman after whom he was named, on his wav from the log cabin to the 
White House, never worked harder for an education than did Mr. Brick, 
our fello\.'-citizen and friend. He was endowed with large natural gifts, 
but he well knew that the most royal talent must have discipline and 
culture. Our Angelos who chisel our marble, our Raphaels who paint 
our pictures, our Shakespeares who write our poetrv, our orators who 
sjjeak for us in the name of liberty must toil long and ]'atiently. Without 
diligence our feet shall never stand in the presence of kings. 

He possessed in a high degree the literary instinxrt, and wielded a graceful 
])en. His was a brilliant imagination, and he was a poet in temperament. 
He drank of the wells of a Byron and of a Burns and of a Charles I.amb. 
Charles Lamb appealed to him most strongly. His crumbs were belter 



i8 Memorial Addresses: Abraham L. Brick 

than some men's whole loaves. The fact that Charles Lamb cared so 
jjatiently for his invalid sister clothed his essays and poems with new 
charms for Mr. Brick. In conversation once with my friend, I told him 
an incident that was associated with Mr. Lamb that affected him deeply. 
Poets, orators, artists, and authors were once dining with .Mr. Lamb. .\s 
the conversation flagged one of them said, " What would vou do, Mr. 
Lamb, if William Shakespeare were to ste]) into our jiresence^" He 
replied, "I would stand to my feet and exclaim, 'All hail, thou greatest 

of poets! But what would you do if the Christ of the \ew Testament 

should come into this room^" He replied, "Of course, I .should receive 
Him upon my knees." 

When he had achieved an honorable fame among the great men of the 
Nation, then did he stand before kings. There are real kings who do not 
wear crowns and wave scepters and live in palaces. The words " Seest 
thou a man diligent in business, he shall stand before kings," are fulfilled 
when we stand in the presence of true greatness. 

liut what a friend was he. What a patriot. Ho«- loval to the friends 
he loved. Warm in his sympathies, appreciative of the smallest kindness. 
A gentleman in his instincts. He had his faults, but his good qualities 
overbalanced his bad qualities. We shall miss his genial jiersonalitv and 
his manly presence. We are all glad that we have known him. What a 
spontaneous tribute to his memory do we see here to-dav. His distin- 
guished associates in Congress are here to pay the final tribute of their 
affection and appreciation. \\'ith thousands of fellow-citizens I passed 
through the court-house yesterday, where his body lay in state. Rverv 
man, woman, and child was sympathetic. I was imjiressed with the 
beautiful flags that made the very air throb with patriotism. Let us clothe 
him with the flag of his country, which he loved, to which he was so true, 
and for which he would have died, and let us weave another flag, the flag 
of charity, out of our heart's best affection, and throw its folds around 
him. With these two flags let him rest. 

O death, where is thy sting!" O grave, where is thv victory? 



Address of Mr. Alexander, of New York 19 



Address of Mr. ALEXA^^DER, of New York 

Mr. Speaker: In the few miiiules allotted me I shall speak 
of Mr. Brick, not as a Representative, although I regarded him 
one of the ablest Members in this House; nor as a lawyer who 
came here with a reputation second to none in the section of 
Indiana where he resided; nor as an affectionate husband and 
devoted father whose life seemed wrapped up in the daughter 
of whose mental gifts he was so justh' proud; nor as the friend 
of his constituents, whose respect, shown to his memory by 
crowded streets and a thronged procession on the funeral day, 
indicated that thev, among whom he was born, understood the 
rare qualities of his head ancl heart. 

But I shall speak of him rather as one whom I knew with 
something of the intimacy that one mind knows another after 
each, with absolute candor, has exposed its inmost thoughts. 
For six or seven vears AnE and I lived at the same hotel. Many 
evenings were we together. Before an open, crackling wood 
fire, comfortablv seated in rocking chairs, with the blue smoke 
of our cigars curling and circling about us, we talked of men, of 
books, of nature, and of eternity. He was a lover of the best ' 
literature. His tranquil and pretty home in South Bend, with 
its large and carefullv selected library, showed that he wrought 
in the pure literary spirit. 

A delicate and an acute critic of style, his discussion of it 
vividly illustrated bv recitals that seemed to blend them with 
his own words, made an hour as enjoyable as the talk of George 
William Curtis in the old "Easy Chair" of Harper's Weekly. 
An index to his taste is found in the scrapb;):)k, which he guarded 
with the jealous care that a Lassan protects his holy city, and 



20 Memon'ii/ Addresses: Abraham L. Brick 

which is a storehouse of thoughts that can never die. Poetry, 
art, letters, the higher politics, take their place freely and nat- 
urally beside philosophy, morals, and historv, but in it are 
pasted only the selections that show careful and conscientious 
work, critical discrimination, and the daintv form that culture 
gives to written words. \o one can turn the pages of this rare 
book without recognizing scrupulous attention to a very high 
standard. It revealed his mental appetite, his aspirations, the 
thoroughness of his training, and the constancy of his moral 
impulse. Judged by its standards, and by the unfailing self- 
respect that characterized his thoughts in heart-to-heart con- 
versations, he was as anxious to be right as he was determined 
in what he had decided to be right. 

His personality counted for much. He was of a singularly 
simple and consistent nature, sincere and kind, and sensitively 
sympathetic. Free from bitterness, without varying moods, and 
nursing neither prejudices nor resentments, one felt in inter- 
course with him only the substance and reality of companionshi]x 
Those who entered his inner life felt the charm of an open 
mind, vigorous and sane, which loved to analyze men of achieve- 
ment, getting at the spring from which the\- drank, finding 
the secret of their strength, and tracing in the masterv of their 
work the inlluence of obstacles which they encountered. He 
was an optimist as well as an idealist. That is to say, he be- 
lieved in the best, declaring that it was imperative always to 
pursue it and possible ultimately to attain it. This could be 
gathered from the range of his subjects disclosed in the scrap- 
book, as well as from his talk, illustrated with the aid of a 
memory as sound as it was ready, showing his wide reading 
and the ease with which liis mind assimilated and made it 
his own. 



Address of Mr. Alexander, of Nejv \'ork 21 

Mr, Brick liked nature. He took his rooms on the west side 
of the hotel that he might have a glimpse of McPherson Park, a 
miniature mixture of the choicest trees, the tenderest shrubs, 
and the most delicate flowers in Washington. He loved to be 
alone in the country. The trees were company enough. A 
little pond with its liny ripples, a baljbling brook, the ever- 
changing clouds floating above him, or the cattle on a distant 
hill bathed in the sunlight satisfied him. He once told me of a 
visit to Atlantic City, where he did nothing for a week but look 
out upon the ocean and watch the waves chase each other to 
the shore. He was jjarticularly susceptible to a sunset. He 
loved the twilight, tiie tinkle of the bell upon the returning herd, 
and the shadowy outline of a church thrusting its steeple above 
the fresh foliage. At such moments he was in imagination at 
Stoke Poges, and the stanzas of Gray's Elegy came involmitarilv 
to his lips. But he also enjoved the wild. 

The low threatening cloud, the raging storm, the wild swav- 
ing f)f the trees, and tiie downpour of the rain held him \)y the 
hour at the window as in a trance. He easily yielded to the 
influence of untamed nature, which requires supreme effort to 
know. He had seen little or nothing of it himself. Our mid- 
night climb a year ago last summer to the summit of Haleakala, 
on one of the Hawaiian Islands, was tlie most adventurous 
event of his life, he said; but his love for the wild took him 
in thought among mountain peaks where only the eagle lives, 
through .Vlaskan winters and tl^eir strenuous conditions, and 
with Rudyard Kipling into the altractixe life of the jungle. 
The Call of the Wild interested him because it harked back to 
■ the original in nature, showing in animals, jierhaps, the inherent 
governing cjualities that dominate men when isolated from the 
ripening and refining influences that make for civilization and 
peace. To him Wiiite I'"angs, representing the wild in its e\o- 



22 Memorial Addresses: Abraham L. Brick 

liition, likewise appealed. The cruel pictures did not please, 
nor the impossible feats of strength, but the wild, strange life, 
thrust into sight like an upheaval of ice churned and stiffened 
into fantastic shapes, riveted his thought upon the war that 
goes on among the survival of nature's fittest. 

He might be called a "gentle Klia;" yet he was not wholly 
content with literature as a mere source of enjoyment. His 
deepest pleasure was in its substance and in the inspiration it 
breathed into his life. Nor was he wholly satisfied with the 
exquisite and truthful nature pictures of John Burroughs. His 
mind was essentially vigorous, and of a fiber as firm as it was 
fine. He enjoyed a contest at the bar, on the hustings, and 
in this House. He could easily have become a reformer. It 
is doubtful, however, if one possessing the varietv of his intel- 
lectual sympathies could have become an agitator, with its 
narrowness and monotonv. 

Others have spoken of his gifts of speech, and surprise was 
sometimes expressed that he did not oftener address this House. 
In the first years of his service, before attachment to one of the 
great committees, his voice was frequently heard in debate, 
but he gradually yielded to the rule governing most Members 
who work upon important committees, of speaking only when 
measures are before the House which come from their com- 
mittees or about which they are especially informed. Such 
Members do not fill the Record. It is easy to criticise an item 
in a su]iply .bill the purpose of which lies upon the surface 
and opposition to which requires neither research nor special 
information. Such debate did not interest Mr. Brick. He 
held himself in reserve to aid only when help was needed to 
enlighten, and then he presented the information and argument 
learned by hard work in the committee room. He was at once 
free and measured. He had rare skill in the presentation of 



Address of Mr. Alexander, of Neiv York 23 

facts, and if at tinu-s caustic, be was m'\cr noisv, nor unfair, 
nor conceited. 

It is needless to say that he was not sectarian. Neither was 
there any taint in his mind of narrowness or bigotry. "He be- 
lieved in God and in the survi\al of personality after death. 
He cared little for later-day psychical research and its spirit- 
istic theories, but he had an abiding faith that the spirits of 
just men live on, striving to attain the best and not unmindful 
of those who are soon to follow them. He believed, with the 
poet, that — 

They see the face of God, and know ;it last 

The thing they sought. 
But could not find, in this gray Hght of time; • 

They tread with holy feet that far-oJT clime; 

Tliey live with Cod. 

And we who follow them are not forgot; 

They know our life; 
The memory of years once lived up<m these lands, 
y Where we still toil with weary feet and hands. 

Is sacre<l still. 

(The Faces of our Dead, l)y Pascal Harrower. The Outlook, A])ril i8, 
1908.) 



24 Memorial Addresses: Abraham L. Brick 



Address of Mr. Lloyd, of Missouri 

Mr. Speaker: When it is least expected many times the final 
summons to meet the enemy of life is heard. The person in 
whose memory we meet presented a case directly in point. A 
few days before he breathed his last he was apparently in 
splendid heallli. but the yital spark went out and left the body 
cold in death. 

He was in middle age — in the prime of life. He had much 
to en^urage him to liye, but no allurement of life could with- 
stand the forces which held him in their fatal grasp. 

Mr. Brick had always liyed in .St. Joseph Countx', Ind. He 
came up through its schools in his preparatory work and later 
attended Cornell and Vale uniycrsities, and graduated in law 
at Ann Arbor, Mich., in 1883. He at once began the practice 
of law in his home town. South Bend. He was prosecuting 
attorney of the counties of La Porte and St. Joseph, and had 
been in Congress about nine years prior to his death. I knew 
him during his stay in Congress and served on the Committee 
on Territories with him. "^ 

Mr. Brick was a man of good ability and strict integrity. 
What he undertook to do he did well. If one will examine the 
bill to give a delegate in this body to the district of Alaska, 
which was favorably reported, he will find a strong and forceful 
presentation of the rights of the Alaskans and in favor of the 
passage of the bill. It will give something of insight to the 
caution which swayed him, and the painstaking investigation 
made about a matter in which he nor his constituents had anv 
personal concern. He was partisan in ]X)litics, but patriotic 
always. When the proposition was before Congress for the 



Address of Mr. Lloyd, of Missouri 25 

admission of Indian Territory, ()klalioma, New Mexico, and 
Arizona to statehood as two States, I renienilier, in conversation 
with him as to the merits of the bill, he remarked: "I alwa\s 
follow my party on a matter of policy." 

His name indicates a parental appreciation of one of the 
greatest characters in American history — Abraham Lincoln. 
With him as their ideal, it is safe to assume that they were 
loyal, devoted citizens, in full accord with the sentiments which 
dominated the life of him whose name shines forth as a great 
beacon, preeminently more striking than the average of the 
heroes and sages of this Republic. 

Mr. Brick was cautious and methodical, honest and truthful. 
His integrity was never questioned in any particular, so far as 
I have information. He had some frailties among his many 
virtues, it may Ije, Init if so, let him who has no faults condenm. 
His life shines out with the greater luster the more you study 
it. He was most appreciated by those who know him best. 
Never ofifensive, always affable and pleasant, his association 
tended to good cheer and his counsel to better living. He was 
devffted to his wife and child. A few days liefore his departure 
he told me how rejoiced he was at his daughter's success in 
school, and expressed the thought that he was living now for 
his child and her mother. What higher ])urpose could ]iroin])t 
a man' What lo\e more sacred — what ri'lation more dear! 
The wife who gives up all to accept the lot and share the fate 
of man, and the child which comes into the home to share the 
joint affection; it liccomcs the truest bond of union; the strong- 
est incentive for unusual endeavor; and the cause of the exhi- 
bition of that which is noblest and i)est in man. Mr. Hkick 
lives in the memory of men, but nowhere more constantly tiian 
in the lives of the wife and daughter left behind. Man may 
philosophize about the hereafter and its desirabilitx'. but no 



26 Memorial Addresses: Abraham L. Brick 

stronger reason can be given than that the afflicted family circle 
may be reunited. In times of distress and grief there is no 
sweeter thought than that separation shall cease and that per- 
petual reunion shall follow the resurrection mom. 

To his colleagues on this floor, for whom he had an abiding 
friendship and personal interest, his taking was a serious loss. 
These may each say, "My friend has gone." What monument 
more enduring than friendship; what examples more enchanting 
than the exhibition of genuine friendship? David and Jona- 
than, Damon and Pythias, are noted illustrations of fhe strength 
of the cord which binds men in sympathetic and imselfish inter- 
est, but thousands of such characters may be found in the world. 
Mr. Brick was true to his friends and consecrated to their wel- 
fare. I remember well a little incident which exhibits what I 
believe was his freedom from selfishness. On separating a few 
years ago I had a slight throat affection, which resulted iji con- 
stant hoarseness. He said, "If you will permit me, I can send 
you the medicine which will overcome your trouble," and ex- 
plained what it was. He said he would send me some of it 
when he went home. I thanked him and thought no fhore 
about it. In a day or two after I reached Missouri I received 
the remedy which he believed would relieve. This little inci- 
dent, like so many in Holy Writ, helps to point out the real ele- 
ments of genuine character which, carried to the extreme, would 
cause the man to die for his friend. 

\o man could have seen the unusual demonstrations of affec- 
tion in South Bend on the day of his burial — the holiday from 
business, the unusual large concourse of people who sought to 
pay their respect to the dead, with the streets lined with people 
for miles, and the occasional outburst in audible tones, "Brick 
was a good fellow," "I loved AoE," "He was one of mv best 
friends; ' in fact, the repeated evidence of real affliction and 



Address of Mr. Lloyd, of Missouri 27 

grief on every hand — without realizing that a good man had 
been called away to that place from whence no man returns. 

In the death of Mr. Brick many lessons are found for the 
surviving. In the life of Mr. Brick was much that was worth v 
of our emulation. \'our friend and mine has gone, but is not 
forgotten. His work for his c()unlr\- was patriotic and helpful. 
His constituents were the beneficiaries of his best endeavors; 
his town was a source of pride. Mr. Brick rejoiced in the 
loyalty of his friends, Imt he was best of all within the home, 
which I believe is the real test of genuine manhood. The family 
unit is the hope of the Republic, the ])erpetuit\' of famih' ties 
the enduring monument which man builds for countr\-, the 
homage and devotion to the inmates who are there to bless is 
the touchstone which separates the genuine from the false, and 
the love of wife and child is the culmination of the higliest and 
noblest that can assert itself in human life. 



28 Memorial Addresses: Abraham L. Brick 



Address of Mr. Holliday, of Indiana 

.Mr. SpE.\kek: I desire to place a few wreaths upon the tomb 
of a man whom I loved well. \\'liile I indorse everything said 
in regard to his ability as a statesman, so well and ablv stated 
by my colleagues, my mind to-day does not dwell upon that 
part of his career. I rather prefer to think of our warm per- 
sonal friendship. When I first came to Congress he had already 
obtained a considerable influence in this bodv. I remember 
the greeting that he gave me and I remember how thoroughly I 
appreciated it. I came here thoroughly conscious of my limita- 
tions, difTident, morbidly sensitive, and it would have taken 
but little on the ]5art of my colleagues who were here to have 
made me miserable. I am glad to be able to say without a 
single exception they gave me a warm and cordial welcome, 
and undertook to help me in every wav possible to become a 
useful Member of this body, and to none other am I indebted 
more greatly than to our deceased comrade. Like mv distin- 
guished friend from New York, I love to think of him as a 
student and a reader of literature. He drank deeply of the 
well of English, pure and undefiled; from Spenser to Tennvson 
he was familiar with the British poets, and was master of their 
subtlest thoughts and sweetest expressions. 

I loved to get within the cloakroom, or at his hotel, or any- 
where we could meet, and have him recite and review his 
favorite poets. Never a Shakespearean scholar mvself, I got 
my best conceptions of the work of the great dramatist bv the 
interpretation placed upon them by Mr. Brick. .\nd with the 
renaissance of literature, which came to the American writers 
with Emerson, and Lowell, and Whittier, and Longfellow, and 



Address of Mi . Hol/iday, of Indiana 29 

the great men who have enibelHsIied the historv of hteralure 
of this countr\-, lie was also equalh' fainihar. And it was not 
merely in a general way. He was not omnivorous in his read- 
ing; it was not mere academic reading. He would assimilate 
what he read. He was able to gather up the thoughts of the 
poets and he was able to give them exjjression. He was a 
])ersonal friend of Lew Wallace, George Ade, James W'hitcomb 
Riley, Booth Tarkington, and the other men who have con- 
tributed so much to bring a literary distinction to our own great 
Commonwealth. He knew them, recognized them, and, like 
every other Indianian, was proud of what thev had hrotighl of 
fame to our State. I remember a curious coincidence, that when 
my friend from New York and myself were returning from Mr. 
Brick's funeral our thoughts naturalh- turned toward him, 
having just seen him ])laced in his coffin, and we talked, not of 
his work, not of his law jiractice, not of his duties in this House, 
but we talked of his books. 

It seems so natural, in thinking of Mr. Brick, to think of the 
authors that he loved, whose beauties he had selected, whose 
sweetness he had culled, whose glories he had cultivated. He 
had the poetical instinct without the poetical faculty. He 
breathed the very aroma of the highest literature of this land 
and of all other lands. There is something good about that 
kind of a man. You never saw a^ thoroughly bad man who 
loved the great classics of English literature. 

He had his weaknesses, and it seems to be a strange fatality 
that the minds most finely attuned sometimes the most readilv 
yield to extraneous inlluences. But he had a delicate mind, 
had a spiritual soul, and if he was not always able to kecji 
himself keyed up to the highest ideals of which he dreamed 
and for which he wrought, let us forget it. He loved his books; 
he loved nature. He was a devoted husband, he was a devoted 
father, and he was an excellent citizen. 



T,o Memorial Addresses: Abraham L. Brick 

Mr. Brick was many years my junior. Owing to our warm 
friendship, owing to our close and constant intimacy and com- 
panionship, I believed that some day he would attend mv 
funeral. I never dreamed I would attend his. 

But men come and men go, and these things bring to us more 
closely the awful certainty of death. And in the presence of 
that great shadow how little our bickerings, how little our dis- 
putes, how futile our ambitions are! It comes with still greater 
force to those of us who have climbed to the summit of life and 
feel ourselves rapidly going down on the other side. Young 
men in the prime of life and usefulness have gone from this 
body since I have been here and some of we old men still 
remain. 

But, after all, a real manly man never lives in vain, no mat- 
ter where he is placed. The fact that Mr. Brick was a Member 
of Congress was,a mere incident. He led men because God had 
made him a natural-born leader of men. He went to the front 
because his ])lace was at the front. He would have gone to 
the front in any occupation or anv station in life. 

Let us forget his imperfections and weaknesses. Let us emu- 
late his virtues and his good qualities, and let us rest in 
supreme confidence upon that God in which he believed, 
because, after all. in the face of the mightv leveler there is onlv 
one consolation, and that is the trust in the divine and over- 
ruling Providence. 

1 know nut where His islands lift 

Their fronded palms in air; 
I only know I can not drift 

Bevond His loving care 



Address oj Mr. Crumpacker, of Indiana -31 



Address of Mr. Crumpacker, of Indiana 

• 

Mr. Speaker; Hon. Abr.\h.\m L. Brick was my intimate 
personal friend for moru than twenty years, and I would be 
remiss in my obligation to that friendship if I did not add a 
word of tribute to his life and character on this memorial 
occasion. 

Before either -of us became a Member of this body we were 
frequently associated together, and occasionalh opposed to each 
other in the trial of cases in the courts of Indiana. He was 
an able lawyer, a strong advocate, and his professional career 
reflected the highest and best ideals in the administration of 
justice. While he had no sympath)' with unfair or dishonest 
methods in the practice of law, he was a master in marshaling 
facts, in persuasive and convincing argument, and in the subtle 
strategy of the forum. He translated his high conception of 
the ethics of his profession into worthy acts and noble deeds. 
His temperament was peculiarl\' artistic, his nature was noble 
and refined. He was familiar with the world's master works 
of literature and art; he loved everything that tended to elevate 
thought and refine feeling. His ripe scholarship, his broad 
culture, his dignified reserve were not mere embellishments, but 
were powerful weapons in his moral and intellectual armorv in 
waging conflict in the cause of justice and righteousness. 

His manner was always gentle and his heart was kind and 
tender. Generosity of spirit and sympathy for the unfortunate 
were conspicuous qualities of his nature. He was modest in 
pretension, but ample in power of execution. His purpose was 
to live broadly and deeply, and to dwell in perfect harmony 
with the laws of nature and of man. His ambition was to make 

78128— H. Due. 1515. 5o-2 3 



32 Memorial Addresses: Abraham L. Brick 

the highest and best use of the talents committed to his keep- 
ing, and to contribute to the world more than he received 
from it. 

He entered public life, iiot for honoi^or emolument, but be- 
cause it afTorded a broader field for the exercise of his faculties 
and increased his opportunities to promote the interests of the 
social body. He was an industrious, conscientious Member of 
this assembly, doing his work largely in the committee room, 
where legislation is really initiated and fashioned and where 
real statesmen wield their greatest influence in making laws. 
His passion was love of country, and he enjoyed the work of in- 
vestigating public questions and shaping laws and policies to 
advance its welfare. His religion was love of mankind, and his 
creed was embodied in the words of Abou Ben Adhem ; 

I pray thee, then, 
Write me as one that loves his fellow-men. 

He died in the prime of a useful life, with the sun of his hopes 

and aspirations at its zenith. His career was a credit to his 

State and Nation, his death a distinctive loss to both. 



Address of Mr. Hamilton, of Michigan 33 



Address of Mr. Hamilton, of MicfflOAN 

Mr. Speaker: Abraham Lincoln Brick died at the a^e of 
48 years, in the fullness of his mental powers, mourned by the 
people of his State and district. 

On the day on which his body was carried to the tonil) the 
whole population of the city where he had lived and worked 
and struggled upward stood along the line of the procession 
with heads bowed in sorrow. 

It was a day in spring, when a trembling heat had begun to 
shimmer in the sunlight across green fields and a smell of new 
grass was in the air. 

It was one of those days when a man seeing the renaissance 
of the world about him wishes there might also be a renaissance 
for mankind. 

This yearly renewal of life was mysterious to primitive man, 
and the mystery and the wonder of it have not ceased to civi- 
lized man. 

For centuries philosophers have philosophized and scientists 
have speculated concerning the origin of life, but it has alwavs 
baffled them. 

No life has ever been found to originate itself. 

Who, then, sowed life upon this planet and who fitted it for 
the development of life and the evolution of reason, the crown 
of life? 

It may have come by chance, but it is easier to believe that 
an orderly universe is the result of an orderly Intelligence than 
it is to believe that an orderly universe is the result of chance. 



34 Memorial Addresses: Abraham L. Brick 

To suppose, then, that tliu Power that set this ]jlanet spin- 
ning in space as one of many planets in one of many solar 
systems moving through space subject to law; 

To suppose that the Power that sowed life upon this planet 
and luted it for the evolution of reason; 

To suppose that the Power that created finite reason and 
tlierefore must be infinite reason; 

To suppose that such a Power, infinitely wise, infinitely rea- 
soning, would create reasoning beings, with thoughts, hopes, 
and aspirations caught from the Infinite only to make them 
the sport of circumstance for a little time and then to let them 
"lie in cold obstruction and to rot" in the grave, is to suppose 
a Power of infinite cruelty. 

Plato taught long ago that the human soul neither begins 
nor ends. 

But whether human life here is a beginning or whether "birth 
is but a forgetting" of some previous existence, men — group- 
ing for knowledge, searching the Book of Life and finding that 
nothing is lost in nature's infinite nuitations — have come to 
believe, what for centuries was only a hope, that death is only 
a transition, and that life here is only a phase of continuing 
existence. 

Thousands of years ago Job pro]50unded the question: "If a 
man die, shall he live again?" and years afterwards Paul, the 
apostle, made answer; "If Christ be not risen from the dead, 
then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." 

And it came to pass that on a vSunday morning long ago, the 
third day after the crucifixion, two women on their way to the 
Savior's tomb were wondering who should 'roll away the stone 
from the door of the sepulcher " for them, but "as they looked 
they saw that the stone was rolled away." When that stone 



Address of Mr. Hamilton, of Michigan 35 

was rolled away it opened dn avenue upward for the lu)])e of 

all mankind. Therefore — 

He who died at Azan sends 
This to comfort faithful friends; 
* * * what the women lave, 
For its last bed in the grave, 
Is but a hut which I am iiuittinj;, 
Is a garment no more fitting. 

1 had talked these things over with Hkick many times, the 
last time on a train as we were crossin.i; a vast sweep of arid 
]ilaiii on our way west, and if lie could hear me still ,i;ro])ing 
about these problems which he has solvefi, I fanc\" he wotild 
smile a little. 

He had thought much not only concerning this "unentling, 
endless quest" for immortalit\', btit he had read widely and 
studied deeply in many directions. 

He was learned in the law, and in the jaractice of his [iro- 
fession realized Bacon's idea that e\er\ man is "a debtor to 
his ])rofession; that as from it he derives ])rofit and conse- 
t'uence, so he should endeavor to make amends bv being to it 
a helper and an ornament." 

I always liked I^rick because he was modest and getuiine 
and was tiot always advertising without regard to his ability 
to fill the bill. 

So far as history will take account of us, we are most of us 
mere items in the census list, notwithstanding the efforts of a 
certain kind of flamboyant mediocrity to make itself conspic- 
tiotis by ])ress-agent publicity. 

1 think hard work iiis]iiretl bv devotion to [jrinciple will win 
in the long run. but it does not get its pay every Saturday 
night. 

And when work is bending over its task it not infrequently 
hears a loud noise and, turning around, discovers that some 
other kind of genius has won. 



36 Memorial Addresses: Abraham L. Brick 

There is no pursuit in the world where the talent of the 
fakir gets quicker results than in politics, but, on the other 
hand, there is no place where a sham shrinks to its true value 
more quickly than in a responsible political position. 

Brick was the kind of a man who would not resort to the 
craft of the political advertiser while alive, and now that he is 
dead he would not want us to exaggerate his virtues. 

The truth is enough. He was a brave, honest, truthful, gen- 
uine man. 



Address of M) . GilliamS: oj Indiana 



Address of Mr. Gilhams, of Indiana 

Mr. Speaker: Whatever may be life's pathway, each of us 
must meet the last milestone. Time flies and the world moves 
on, but meet it we must. The solemnity of this hour is coupled 
with the thought of those who have met the last milestone, 
among whom is my friend and colleague, Abrah.am Lincoln 
Brick. 

Of his early life 1 am not able to speak, as I never came in 
contact with the people of the community in which he lived 
nor had opportunity to learn it from him. It had not been my 
pleasure to know him prior to my sen.'ice in Congress, but I 
had known of him through his manv friends. 

Wherever he had gone in the practice of his profession he 
was held in high esteem and warm remembrance bv all. It 
was his inborn characteristic and good fortune to at once gain 
the respect, admiration, and love of all with whom he came 
in contact. He was always spoken of in the highest terms for 
his ability and integrity as a lawyer while actively engaged in 
the practice of his profession in his own and the thirtv-fourth 
judicial circuits of Indiana. Everywhere he received tl*e high- 
est encomiums, and was early recognized among the practition- 
ers of the bar to be an excellent lawvcr and an able advocate. 

He was genial, kind, and loving; full of warmth for everyone; 
appreciative of the kindly spirit that was manifested toward 
him from time to time, with a keen sense of integrity, honor, 
and justice, and a generous appreciation of his fellow-men. He 
was earnest, honest, and capable, and sincerely desirous of 
serving his constituents well; of imusual capacity for prepara- 
tion and to do well that which he undertook to do. He was 



38 Memorial Addresses: Abraham L. Brick 

always easy of approach and never in the sHghtest degree ex- 
clusive, and held himself at all times on a par with the humblest 
of his constituents, with whom he met from dav to day. 

Because of these qualities he early gained recognition. Na- 
ture, in its kindness, had endowed him. with excellent capabili- 
ties, and early age found him climbing the ladder of success. 

His tastes were distinctly intellectual. He was an extraor- 
dinary student of literature, and he was unusually responsive to 
the flashlights of the historian and the voice of the poet. His 
power to analyze the thought of an author and to turn it to his 
own use was always noticeable in all his work. He was not a 
seeker of notoriety. He was not sensational, biu was always 
modest and unassuming, and was content with doing his duty 
each day in a manner which he believed would assist the people. 
He had a keen sense of humor and ready wit, and was, all in all, 
a generous, noble fellow. 

Simplicit>- of character remained with him whom we com- 
memorate to-day. He was born of common parents whose 
lineage was of the common ]3eople, and to the common people 
he was constantly drawn, and never held a spirit of exaltation 
above them. To him it was a pleasure to serve, and his con- 
stituents, however humble, found an .obliging and readv helper. 

To know AisRAH.^M Lincoln Brick was to feel the warmth 
of a noble and generous heart and enjoy the pleasure of his 
personal charm. He was as a brother to those who were fortu- 
nate in knowing him — broad in fellowship and deep in love 
and sympathy for all. Nothing could have proclaimed more 
surely and emphatically the high regard and afTection of his 
people than did the action of his home city and district in the 
filial welcome of his mortal remains and the loving affection 
and tearful burial of all that was earthly of their fellow towns- 
man and foremost citizen. 



Address of Mr. Gilhams, of Indiana 39 

In everyone we find characteristics which mark the true and 
noble impulses. They are the sentinels which jjroclaim the 
man to his friends, the community, and perchance, to all the 
world. They speak for quality, as nobility, justice, truth, love, 
and gentleness. These are some of the attributes that were 
strongly marked in our friend and colleague, Ahr.\h.\m Lincoln 
Brick, and which endeared him to all who had the pleasure of 
his acquaintance. How often do we find those whorri the popu- 
lace has raised to conspicuous position exhibit qualities that 
are ignoble, ostentatious, and vainglorious; but it was not so 
with our colleague and friend, who wore the honors well. 

From my observation of him on the floor of the House, I 
would judge he was not given to nnich speaking; but when 
called upon to defend his constituency, or in defense of his posi- 
tion upon questions before the Houst, he was clear, able, and 
forceful, speaking with earnestness and feeling. 

AnR.\HAM Lincoln Brick was fortunate in the representation 
of a district composed of a sturdy, rugged, and industrious 
people, of fine moral integrity and intellectual attainments, out 
of which has come some of the strongest and ablest men of the 
State; a district that has always been a great force in the 
State's affairs, producing some of the ablest men in its history; 
men who have not followed, but have led in the work of both 
State and Nation in the fields of legal jurisprudence, agricul- 
ture, and manufacture. 

To be chosen as the Representative of such a district is in- 
dicative of the ability and character of the man. Character is 
that silent, unseen force always felt and known of all men. It 
is always preceding us, proclainfing our ^•irtues and our possi- 
bilities. It is the silent messenger, standing at the door of op- 
portunity and proclaiming our rights to enter. 'Tis the con- 
queror of adversity and, although it might be outgeneraled for 



40 Memorial Addresses: Abraham L. Brick 

a day, its power of recuperation is mar\clous, and success is 

attained at last. 

It has been well said by a ]ihiloso])her in >ears past, that; 

Rashly, nor ofttiraes truly, doth nuin ])ass judgment on his brother; 

For he seeth not the springs of the heart, nor hearcth the reasons of the 

mind. 
.\nd the world is not wiser than of old, when justice was meted bv tlie 

sword, 
When tlie spear avenged the wrong, and the lot decided the right. 
When the footsteps of blinded innocence were tracked by Imrning ])low- 

shares, 
.\m\ the still condemning water delivered up the wizard to the stake: 
For we wait, like the sage of Salamis, to see what the end will be, 
Fi.xing the right or the wrong liy the issues of failure or success. 
Judge not of things by their events; neither of character bv jirovi- 

dence; i 

.\nd count not a man more evil, because he is more unfortunate: 
For the blessings of a better covenant lie not in the sunshine of jiros- 

perity. 

Abr.\h.\m Lixcolx Brick has passed over to the other side 

into the great unknown, but toward which all mankind has 

looked forward to with contemplative eye, hoping that he might 

catch a vision, and thereby obtain a clearer perception of eternal 

destiny, and so we will continue to believe and hope that 

"death did not come to our colleague bearing in his hand the 

sickle of destruction, but the scepter of inlnlortalit^■." It has 

been said by the philosopher Tupper; 

That we are of earth for a day, but an heir of the universe forever' 

For neither the congealing of the grave, nor 'gulphing waters of the hr- 

mament, 
.Nor rust of rest, nor wear, nor waste, nor loss, nor chance, nor change 
Shall avail to (piench or overwltelm the soul within thee I 
Thou art an imperishable leaf on the evergreen bay tree of existence; 
A word from wisdom's mouth that can not be unspoken: 
.\ ray of love's own light; a drop in mercy's sea: 

.\ creature marvelous and fearful, begotten by the fiat of omnipotence. 
I that speak in weakness and ye that hear in charity 
Shall not cease to live and feel, though flesh must see corruption; 
For the prison gates of matter shall be broken, and the shackled soul go 

free 
Forever, liappy fate, to ripen into perfectness, forever! 



Address of Mr. Barnhart, of hiJiana 41 



Address of Mr. Barnhart, of Indiana 

Mr. .Speaker: What a siiiishiiK- and what a shadow is life I 
To-day we are in the midst of activity and usefuhiess, and to- 
morrow onr faces and onr favors are known no more forever. 
Truly it has been said that man cometh forth, like the flower of 
the field, only to fall, in the fidl bloom, before the blighting 
edge of the sickle of death. Also truly it has been said that 
man's work doth follow him. And notwithstanding the awful 
truism that "in the midst of life we are in death," there is 
great inspiration and hope in the assurance that death does not 
end all, and that usefulness and devotion to dutv, in whatever 
sphere of life, is the richest legacy that can be left to posteritv, 
and that loyalty to friends and country has its bountiful reward, 
both here and hereafter. 

With a magical name and a wealth of industr\-, ambition, 
and love of fellow-men, Ahr.mi.v.m Linxolx Brick, to whom 
we give panegyric here to-dav, came into the field of life's ac- 
tivities equipped for leadership in an advantageous wav. He 
was not only blessed by nature and environment with cjualifi- 
cation for the larger sphere of usefulness in his communitv and 
his country, but he diligently enlarged his jjossibilities bv stu- 
dious research, until his abilit\- shone in distinguished splendor 
and he was called, step by step, to the highest councils of his 
illustrious country. 

It was not my pleasure to know him intimatelv, as manv of 
you, sirs, who ser\-ed with him here beneath this great dome, 
the emblem of supreme sovereignty throughout the world, but 
I did know him to be ambitious to ser\-e his countrv well, and 
while he was a stalwart in politics, he was magnanimous to all 



42 Memorial Addresses: Abraham L. Brick 

oi opposite faith, and he followed his party leaders onlv so far 
as he thought them to be right. 

Born of intellectual and sturdy ])arentage, he was endowed 
with a desire to get knowledge, and after securing a high-school 
education he achieved scholastic finish at Cornell, Yale, and 
Michigan universities, and entered upon a successful career as a 
lawyer. Soon after he was elected to responsible judicial call- 
ing, and later enjoyed the distinguished honor of being elected 
to Congress and reelected four times. And of his services here 
and of his devotion to his duty, to his friends, to his country, 
and to the heroes who stood by the Union in its time of peril, 
an old soldier, with a crown of snow-white hair over a heart of 
gold, savs; 

I care not how great his i)re(iecessors were, no Congressman ever did 
more for his district than Abrah.am L. Brick. He knew the wants of 
his constituents, and none ever worked harder for the poor and afflicted 
than he. Xo Congressman ever loved and cared for the old soldier more 
than lie, and no one had a greater reverence for the flag of his country- — 
this not so much for its triumphs of 1776, 181 2, and 1846, but for its blood 
stains for the perpetuity of this I'nion. His motto was, "If you can not 
say good of one, say no evil." Hence, he always had some extenuating 
circumstance for tlie man who may have gone wrong. His badge of love 
and humanity's heraldry reclines on thousands of breasts whose hearts 
have felt. Therefore if, after his life of love, he is but dust, he needs no 
tears. Then all the eulogies, monuments, and cenotaphs of earth are hol- 
low mockeries. If he lives forever, then he is safe, because on earth he 
furnished the material for his mansions of charity, for God is just and He 
knows Abr.\h.\m I.. Brick. 

Of his traits as fellow-citizen, neighbor, and friend a lifelong 

acquaintance says of him ; 

To his intimate friends Mr. Brick always maintained that advance- 
ment and high standing in the law was his prime ambition, and that it 
was against both his better judgment and his real inclination that he 
yielded to the impf)rtunities of his friends and entered upim a political 
career. His elocjuence as a speaker, his interest in public affairs and in 
the success of his party had, however, brought him into pi>litical jiromi- 
nence. 



Address of Mr. Barnhart, oj Indiana 4^ 

The same vigor, earnestness, and assiduous attention to vv.rk thai liad 
produced the successful lawyer made Mr. Brick a useful, popular Con- 
gressman. A hard worker, effective speaker, and courteous gentleman 
Uie progress of his service placed him high in the regard ,.f his constit- 
uents and influential in the councils of his party. 

But death ends all activity. There remains 'hut the memory of a repu- 
tation. Of the hoUowness of fame and jKnver and wealth' none were 
more aware than Abrah.wi Lincoln Brick. At a social function •, few 
years ago at the Oliver Hotel in South Bend, Ind., in honor of an old- 
time friend, Mr. Brick spoke feelingly of the elusive baul.les of fame and 
riches which so many pursue to their undoing: and in eloquent words 
portrayed the higher satisfaction of an amliition devoted to noble pur- 
poses, along the cool, sequestered vale of a private career. Was it the 
heart recalling its own earlier cherished dreams^ Doubtless so for liis 
high ideal.s, his love of nature, and his poetic temiierament often made 
him yearn lor relief from public burdens, but his sense of duty to friemls 
and country held him in the public service. He esteemed public duty 
to be paramount to personal comfort: therefore he died literallv "in the 
harness." 

vSo, after his life of generosity, of manifold good deeds to 
others, let us remember his virtues as worthy of our emulation, 
and ar, the bleak winds of life toss us hither and thither and 
submerge our ambitions with billows of misfortune and despair, 
let us hope that they may ever hum a requiem lo the eternal 
rest of him whose memory we honor here to-day. My hope 
and my ambition is to succeed his ofticial career well. 

And, as appropriate benediction to his life and an inspiration 
for us, shall we all join in the humble but uplifting consecra- 
tion vouchsafed to mankind jjy life's sanctuary in .Max Ehr- 
mann's Kindly Light: 

Let me do my work each day. and if the darkened hours of despair 
overcome me, may I not forget the strength that comforted me in the 
desolcaon of other times. May I still remember the bright hours that 
found me walking over the silent hills of my childhood or dreaming on the 
margin of the quiet river, when a light glowed within me and I promised 
my early God to have courage amid the tempests of the changing years 
Spare me from bitterness and from the sharp passions of unguarded mo' 
nients .May I not forget that poverty and riclies are of the spirit 
Thougli the world know me not, may my thoughts and actions be such 



44 Memorial Addresses: Abraham L. Brick 

as shall keej) me friendly with myself. Lift my eyes from the earth and 
let me not forget the uses of the stars. Forbid that I should judge 
others, lest I condemn myself. Let me not follow the clamor of the 
world, but walk calmly in my path. Give me a few friends who will 
love me for what I am, and keep ever burning before my vagrant steps 
the kindly light of hope. And though age and infirmity overtake me 
and I come not within sight of the castle of my dreams, teach me still to 
be thankful for life and for time's olden memories that are good and 
sweet; and may the evening's twilight find me gentle still. 

.M)J()rRXMEXT. 

Then, in accordance with the order heretofore adopted (at 4 
o'clock and ;,4 minutes p. ni.), the House adjourned. 



Proceedings in the Senate 45 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE 

Tl'ESDAY, Aprtl 7, iqo8. 

A message from the House of Representatives, by Mr. W. J. 
Browning, its Chief Clerk, communicated to the vSenate the 
intelligence of the death of Hon. Abrah.\m L. Brick, late a 
Representative from the vState of Indiana, and transmitted 
resolutions of the House thereon. 

Mr. BevERIDGE. Mr. President, I ask that the resolutions 
of the House be laid before the Senate. 

The Vice-President. The Chair lays before the Senate the 
resolutions of the House, which will be read. 

The Secretary read the resolutions, as follows: 

In- the HcirsE av RepkEse.\'Tatives, 

A pril 7, it)oS. 

Resolved, That the House has heard with priifound sorrow of the death 
of Hon. Abr.\h.\m L. Brick, a Representative from the State of Indiana. 

Resolved, That a committee of sixteen Members of the House lie ajj- 
pointed to attend the funeral. 

Resolved, That the Sergeant-at-.\rms of the House be authorized and 
directed to take such steps as may be necessary for carrying out tlie jjro- 
visions of these resolutions; and that the necessary expenses in connection 
therewith be paid out of the contingent fund of the House. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate 
and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. 

Resolved, That as a further mark of resjiect, this House do now recess 
until Wednesday, April 8, at 11.30 a. m. 

The Speaker announced the appointment of Mr. Overstreet, Mr. Watson, 
Mr. Crumpacker, Mr. HoUiday, Mr. Chaney, Mr. Foster of Indiana, Mr. 
Gilhams, Mr. Dixon, Mr. Cox of Indiana, Mr. Gillette, Mr. Graff, Mr. 
Bowers, Mr. Hamilton of Michigan, Mr. Cole, Mr. Lloyd, and Mr. Alex- 
ander of New York. 

Mr. BeveridgE. Mr. President, on behalf of my colleague 
[Mr. Hemenway] as well as myself, I submit resolutions and 
ask for their present consideration. 

The Vice-President. The resolutions will be read. 



46 Proceedings in the Senate 

The Secretary read the resolutions, as follows: 

Reso/ved, That the Senate has heard with deep regret and profound 

sorrow of the death of Hon. Abraham L. Brick, late a Representative 

from the State of Indiana. 

Resolved, That as an additional mark of respect to the memory of the 

deceased the Senate do now adjourn 

The Vice-President. The question is on agreeing to the 
resolutions submitted by the vSenator from Indiana. 

The resolutions were unanimously agreed to, and (at 4 
o'clock and 30 minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned until 
Thursday, April 9, 1908, at 12 o'clock meridian. 

JIoNDAY, February 75, iQog. 

A message from the House of Representatives transmitted 
resolutions of the House commemorative of the life and public 
services of Hon. Abrah.am Lincoln Brick, late a Representa- 
tive from the State of Indiana. 

Mr. Beveridge. I wish to give notice that on Saturdav, 
February 27, I shall ask the Senate to consider resolutions 
commemorative of the life and character of the Hon. Abrah.am 
Lincoln Brick, deceased, late a Member of the House of 
Representatives from Indiana. 

S.\TtRD.\v, February sj, igog. 
The Senate met at i 1 o'clock a. m. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Edward E. Hale, offered the following 
prayer: 

Beholel, I comf quickly: and my reuard is leitli me, to give 
every man according as his icork shall be. 

Blessed are they that do His commandments, that thev may 
have right to the tree of life, and may enter iji through the gates 
into the city. 

For uv knovc that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were 
dissolved, -we have a building of God, an house not made with 
hands, eternal in the heavens. 



Proceedings in the Senate ^j 

Let us |)rav. 

Father, TIiou hast taught us this by Thv word in all ages 
by Thy well-beloved Son. To-day we are to go back in mc"i,- 
ory to those who have served Thee here and are now serving 
Thee in the larger service of that other world. 

O God, be with us when we interpret history. Be with us 
Thou, when we look into the future to see what our own duty 
may be in these days that are before us. Show Thy ser^•ants in 
the Congress, show all persons in authority in the Nation, what 
it is to serx-e the living (iod and to bring in Thy law for our law. 
Thy rule for our passion, Thx- strength for our weakness, and 
Thy love to be with us alwax's, that we may bear each other's 
burdens, that we may find the duty that comes ne.xt our hands, 
that we may enter into that service which is perfect freedom. 
We ask it as Thine own children. 

Our Father who art in heax-en, hallowed be Th.\- name. Thy 
kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread. Forgixe us our trespasses as 
we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into 
temptation, but deliver us from evil; f„r Thine is the kingdom, 
and the power, and the glor\-, forever. Amen. 

Mr. BevERIDge. Mr. President, I submit the resolutions 
which I send to the desk, and ask for their adoption. 

The VicE-Presidext. The Senator from Indiana offers resolu- 
tions, which will be read: 

The resolutions were read, considered bv unanimous consent, 
and unanimously agreed to, as follows: 

i^esolved. That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow of the death 
of the Hon. Abraham Lincoln Brick, late a Member of the House of 
Representatives from the State of Indiana. 

Resolved, That the business of the Senate be now suspended in order 
that a fitting tribute may be paid to his memory 

Resohed. That the Secretary communicate a cops- of these resolutions 
to the House of Representatives and U, the family of the deceased. 
78128— H. Doc. 151s, 60-2 4 



48 Memorial Addresses: Abraliam L. Brick 



Address of Mr. Beveridge, of Indiana 

.Mr. President: I rise to pay a tribute of admiration and 
affection to the memory of the Hon. AnR.\H.\.M Lincoln Brick, 
late Representative in Congress from the Thirteenth Con- 
gressional District of Indiana, who departed this life on April 
7 of last year. In saying the few words which I shall speak I 
know that I voice the sentiment of all the people of the 
Thirteenth District regardless of creeds or parties. 

Mr. Brick was bom in St. Joseph County May 27, i860, 
just at the beginning of that mighty conflict to save the Nation's 
life, and it was natural that the loyalty of his parents should 
find their highest expression in bestowing upon their son the 
name of that wonderful man under whose guidance the Nation 
came through the desperate peril which for five years threat- 
ened its existence. 

\'ery earl\- in life Mr. Brick showed unusual mental gifts, 
and he was noted even in the common schools for his brilliance 
of mind. He w-ent through the usual course of our common- 
school instruction, and finally was graduated from the South 
Bend High School. Later he attended Cornell, Vale, and 
Jlichigan universities. After having graduated from the law- 
department of Michigan LTnivcrsity in 1883 he began the prac- 
tice of law in South Bend. 

It was not a great while before AiiR.\H.\.M L. Brick became 
known as one of the very ablest young lawvers, not only of his 
district, but of the whole State. Few men of his age anywhere 
were better grounded in legal principles or acquired a richer 
legal learning. In 1886 he was elected prosecutor for the coun- 
ties of St. Joseph and L.aporte, and he conducted this ofllce with 



Address of Mr. Beveridge, of Indiana 49 

such distinction that the people showed their approval by mak- 
ing him their Representative. He was elected to the Fiftv- 
sixth Congress and reelected to the Fifty-seventh, Fifty-eighth, 
Fifty-ninth, and Sixtieth Congresses. 

In the House of Representatives he constantly grew in inllu- 
ence and efficiency. He was gradually advanced to the mem- 
bership of important House committees, his ability and industry 
in every instance having justified his appointment. His work 
on the House committees was painstaking and thorough, and 
his judgment uiJon matters referred to him for settlement was 
singularly clear and sound. He won the absolute confidence of 
his colleagues in the House, regardless of party, and he won it 
by solid work and careful study. He was approaching the full- 
ness and maturity of his unusual powers when death suddenly 
laid her hand upon his heart, and he passed away from us for a 
little while. 

Mr. Brick was a mingling of courage and modesty, of rugged 
strength and a woman's lovableness, of a lawyer's keenness and 
a poet's imagination. He was an example of the influence 
which the tremendous moral and intellectual activities of the 
people at the time of his birth produced upon the children born 
during that period. He was delicately sensitive to all the nobler 
impulses, and his bravery amounted to absolute fearlessness. 
His mind was electric in its rapid operations, and mathematical 
in the correctness of its conclusioiis. In his friendships he was 
loyal, and his devotion to those to whom he gave his heart was 
almost passionate. 

Not only was he deeply versed in the law, but he was a wide 
reader of all literature. I shall never forget one particular 
evening which we spent together in my apartments reading 
Markhams immortal poem on Abraham Lincoln and talking 
about the large things of history and fate. His brilliancy of 



50 Memorial Addresses: Alnaliam L. Brick 

speech, his fertility of thought, his wide information were as 
astonishing as they were deHghtfiil. 

Mr. Brick was a stalwart Republican. He profoundly be- 
lieved in what he understood to be the principles of that party, 
and he felt that the welfare of his country could best be secured 
bv Republican policies and government. He was a partisan, 
but with him partisanship meant i)atriotism. 

He has gone from our physical presence, but not from our 
hearts and our memories. No one who ever knew him ever will 
forget Ai3R.\H.^M Lincoln Brick. There are those who look 
on death as a cruel thing, but I never could share this view. 
Surely we go hence to something better, purer, nobler; and if 
we do, death is no more to be regretted than is birth, just as 
death is no greater a mystery than birth. So death should be 
accepted as only an incident in an eternal life. 

That man is fortunate who, when death comes to him, can 
leave behind a record of useful work accomplished, of needed 
things actually done. And particularly fortunate is that man 
to whom the people give their commission to do their work. 
As I view it, all good work of every kind, whether in private or 
public life, is equally important. We can not get along without 
any of it. The man who digs a well has done as good a thing 
as the man who erects a monument ; the explorer is as admi- 
rable as the inventor; the brick mason as necessary as the mer- 
chant. But perhaps work done for the people as a public serv- 
ant, while not of any greater value than any other work, is 
more distinguished for its largeness and touches more human 
beings. To do this work fell to the lot of Abr.\h.-\m Lincoln 
Brick; he did it superbly, and he leaves behind a clean, bright 
record of labor faithfully performed for the Nation. 



Address of Mr. Hemenway, oj Indiana 51 



Address of Mr. Hemenway, of Indiana 

Mr. President: Abraham Lincoln Brick was born in vSt. 
Joseph County, Ind., May 27, i860, and that county was his 
home until the time of his death, when his body was laid tenderly 
at rest there forever, and where he is remembered to-day lov- 
ingly and pleasantly by thousands of sorrowing friends. We lay 
aside for a time to-day the cares and duties of public life to pay 
tribute to his memory, and recall again to our minds his pleasing 
and charming personality, his high sense of honor and patriotism, 
and his strong devotion to the ser^nce of his people. 

The Congress of the United States is made up of men of 
varied character and temperament, but none render better 
service to their country than those substantial hard-working 
men who attend to their duties and are imbued with the desire 
to work out substantial legislation that will be of real benefit to 
the people. In fact, it has been said by an eminent Speaker of 
the House of Representatives that the real work of Congress is 
done in the committee rooms, where bills are carefully scruti- 
nized, data collected, and information sought as to the real and 
jjractical effect of proposed legislation. The value of this work 
can not be overestimated, and it was here that Mr. Brick served 
his country best. He was an able lawyer, with a strong ana- 
lytical mind, with an honest desire to work out good legislation. 
He did not spend his time seeking to find out what policy might 
be popular and then advocate such policy, but he rather tried 
to determine whetlier or not a given proposition or policy was 
right. 

This Government of ours is a tremendous business institution, 
and it will prosper or fall just in the degree in which business 



52 Memorial Addresses: Abyaliam L. Brick 

methods ary ajiplied in tin- administration of its affairs. In the 
fourteen years that I have spent in the American Congress I 
have obsepv'ed that more lasting and substantial good has been 
accomplished b)- the common-sense, practical legislator who 
threw aside all desire for popular approval and worked with 
the purpose of securing good legislation, rather than by the 
theorist who is always seeking something that will attract at- 
tention and abandoning that as soon as he finds something 
more attractive, and all the while seeming to be impressed with 
the idea that the weight of nations rests on his shoulders. ]\Ir. 
Brick belonged to the former class, and when he ])assed away 
the people of his district and the State of Indiana and the whole 
Nation lost a safe and valuable public serv'ant. 

Mr. Brick was a college graduate, and a scholarly, cultured 
gentleman; but in addition to this he had a quality which col- 
leges and universities can not give, and without which their 
training is useless, and that is common sense. He was my pet; 
sonal friend, and I learned to know him for his true worth. 
He was broad minded, unselfish, and charitable. He was proud 
of Indiana and of her history. He was honored by her people 
and he in turn honored them. In Washington he is remembered 
with respect and pride. In Indiana he is remembered with 
gratitude. 



'09 



i^ 



